What is happening with the Rosebank and Jackdaw oil and gas fields?
The UK government is weighing public consultation feedback regarding the approval of the Rosebank oil field and Jackdaw gas field. While industry advocates cite energy security, environmental groups argue that new drilling contradicts climate goals.
Why it matters
The decision represents a critical tension between immediate energy security needs and long-term climate change commitments in the UK.
Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Those against further oil and gas exploration are turning the heat on the new prime minister
A decision on whether to give the go ahead to two oil and gas fields has edged a step closer.
After years of debates and legal wrangling, public consultations on updated plans for the Rosebank oil field off Shetland and the Jackdaw gas field, which lies east of Aberdeen, are closing.
Industry bodies argue that starting production at the sites will provide jobs and improve the UK's energy security as overseas conflicts threaten supply.
Environmentalists insist that more drilling would be unconscionable, hampering efforts to cut planet-warming carbon emissions as deadly heatwaves and extreme weather affect billions across the globe.
They also say starting production would do little to protect energy security and long-term jobs.
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